Creation
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this module is to introduce the Old Testament. In kindergarten, you will go over the story of Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, and the Tower of Babel. This lesson will highlight the differences between the Old and New Testaments with the story of Creation.
INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 10 Minutes
Guide the children in singing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands", feel free to pick and choose particular verses or the whole selection, depending on the time and attention span of your students.
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
He's got the sea and the land in His Hands (3x)
He's got the whole world in His Hands
He's got sun and the moon in His hands (3x)
He's got the whole world in His Hands
He's got the plants and the trees in His hands (3x)
He's got the whole world in His Hands
He's got the fish and the birds in His Hands (3x)
He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got you and me, brothers, in His Hands
He's got you and me, sisters, in His Hands
He's got you and me, family, in His Hands
He's got the whole world in His Hands
SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes
Read only the beginning of the story of Creation in Genesis 1:1-5 to the kindergarteners. Be sure to read with emphasis and inflection in your voice. It is important to make the reading come alive to keep them engaged with the story. Please read the corresponding part of each Day of Creation within the lesson as you explain it in the body of the lesson.
Memory Verse - "In the beginning, God made heaven and earth." Genesis 1:1
CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 10 Minutes
Show the children the video below (Creation Cartoon, 4 min)
Ask the kindergarteners what they noticed about the Bible passage reading, what is the story of the day? The story of Creation This is the first story of the whole Bible, it starts the first chapter of the first book of the first part of the Bible. We read it in Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, we find all the history of the beginning of humanity. In the New Testament, we find everything about our Lord Jesus Christ becoming Man and the early Church.
Before God created the animals or the trees or the sun, everything was empty. There was nothing---nothing except for God. He is eternal. Ask the kindergarteners what they think eternal means? Eternal means God has no beginning or end. An example of this is a circle it's always round and has no beginning or end,
It means that God has always been and will always be. Ever since creation, God has been working to tell His big story to the world and to invite every person to know and love Him. The Bible tells us God's Spirit hovered over the waters. He was in control of everything that would happen---if everything that He would create.
As you continue with the days of creation, have a visual for the children to follow along with. Some ideas include a chart on the whiteboard, a presentation on a screen, or a picture book. Sample images are attached below.
God spoke, and with His Word, He began to create the world. God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. That was the first day of creation and God saw that it was good. Show picture of light and say Day One
Prompt the kindergarteners with "In the beginning...", wait for them as a group to finish the verse as a chorus, "God made heaven and earth." This will be repeated after each day of creation.
On the second day of creation, God separated the land and the seas and saw that it was good. Show the picture of land and sea and say Day two
Prompt the kindergarteners with "In the beginning...", wait for them as a group to finish the verse as a chorus, "God made heaven and earth."
On the third day, God created all the plants: herbs, grasses, and fruit trees. God saw that it was good. Show the picture of grass and trees and say Day Three. Ask the kindergartners if they see a pattern in the way the Bible tells us this story. Why do they think it's important that the Bible repeats, "God saw that it was good" after every day of creation? Because God is good, everything that He created is also good.
Prompt the kindergarteners with "In the beginning...", wait for them as a group to finish the verse as a chorus, "God made heaven and earth."
On the fourth day, God created the sun for daylight and the moon and stars for nights. God saw that it was good. Show the pictures of the sun and moon and say Day Four.
Prompt the kindergarteners with "In the beginning...", wait for them as a group to finish the verse as a chorus, "God made heaven and earth."
On the fifth day, God created the creatures that live in water and that fly in the sky. God saw that it was good. Show pictures of fish & birds and say Day Five.
Prompt the kindergarteners with "In the beginning...", wait for them as a group to finish the verse as a chorus, "God made heaven and earth."
On the sixth day of creation, God made all the living creatures that walk on land. Then He made man in His image and God saw all that He created and said it was very good. Show pictures of animals and of Adam & Eve and say Day Six. Ask the kindergarteners what was different in God's observation on the sixth day compared to the other five, good versus very good. See how much God loves us, He made all of creation for us to enjoy and creates us in His likeness
Prompt the kindergarteners with "In the beginning...", wait for them as a group to finish the verse as a chorus, "God made heaven and earth."
On the seventh day, God rested. Ask the children why they think He rested. Of course, God does not need to rest. But He set an example for us so that we could have a day of rest and He reminds us of the 10 commandments of Moses.
Prompt the kindergarteners with "In the beginning...", wait for them as a group to finish the verse as a chorus, "God made heaven and earth."
LIFE APPLICATION - 5 Minutes
Our Heavenly Father created everything good, including us We should always praise and worship our Heavenly Father for all the gifts that He made for us, especially each other. Each and every one of us is created in the image of God, so it is important for us to remember that our behavior should match our Creator. We show each other the Love and Goodness of God by being kind to each other.
DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes
Share the icon of creation, found attached below, with the kindergartners and ask them what they see. Remind them that icons tell us a whole story, not just one scene. Encourage them to take a close look and share their observations. Note that this attachment includes both a Coptic and Greek Style icon.
ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes
Materials:
- coloring pictures
- crayons/markers
- pencils to write their names
Have the students color the graphic organizer for the days of creation, found attached below. Make sure they each have their name on their paper. For the first day, color one side black and the other side yellow, this will differentiate light from the darkness. Continue coloring each day of Creation, until the page is complete.
SERVANT RESOURCES
- Alternative Activity Coloring Page, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"
- Genesis and Creation, His Grace Bishop Kyrillos
- Creation, Fr. Athanasius Iskander
- Old Testament Books Song (Missing Deuterocanonical books: Tobit and Judith from history books, Wisdom and Sirach from poetic books, Baruch, 1&2 Maccabees from prophetic books, and the Prayer of Manasseh)
PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK
Use the coloring page from Sunday School to review the story of Creation with your children. Quiz yourself and your children to see who can remember what was created on each day. Be sure to read the Bible with your child every day. Setting up routines to read the Bible together reinforces the importance of the Bible in our lives. During the week, you can quiz your child by asking them about God's Creation Day 1, what God created and so on until you finish all six days.